Chapter 461 Hitting

Miao Anping gnashed his teeth and said bitterly, "What's the matter? I just said a few words to the Song family in a painless way, and Song Han is going to hate me for the rest of his life? Not only did he not help, he even pushed a guard from his family out to slap me in the face. Does he think I'm a poor relative who's asking for money?" Then he rushed to the Duke of Ying's Mansion without a care in the world.

Song Han knew nothing about this.

He was so angry that his face turned blue. He looked at the Miao brothers and sisters coldly, said, "Don't drag me into your siblings' affairs," and walked away.

Miao Anping jumped up like a lit firecracker, scolded Miao Ansu and forced her to go find Song Yichun to replace him.

Miao Ansu cried loudly but just sat there without moving.

How could it be such a coincidence that her brother just said he wanted to seek a position as a constable in Jurong County, and a security guard who followed Dou Zhao from Zhending got the job... She would never believe that there was nothing fishy about this!

Song Han thought so too.

Although he hated Miao Anping, Miao Anping was his uncle after all. He was still embarrassed when Miao Anping was slapped in the face like this.

Song Han looked in the direction of Yizhitang, his heart boiling like boiling water.

In Yizhi Hall, the guard who had been assigned the task was kowtowing to Dou Zhao to express his gratitude.

Dou Zhao smiled and said, "This matter has nothing to do with me. It was all the prince's idea. If you want to thank someone, go thank the prince!"

The guard was very smart and flattered, "Without Madam, how would the prince know about us? I want to thank the prince, and I also want to thank Madam."

Everyone was very happy after hearing this speech.

Dou Zhao rewarded him with fifty taels of silver to buy official uniforms and bribe his superiors.

The guard thanked him again and again and then retreated.

After returning to the East Courtyard, he asked Gao Xing's daughter-in-law to help prepare a few tables of banquets and invited the guards of Yizhitang to drink. Everyone was very happy for two days.

Dou Zhao was thinking, since Song Mo had tacitly agreed to Jiang Yan and Chen Jia's marriage, this veil had to be lifted.

Judging from Chen Jia's behavior, he probably never thought about it. He also had to ask Jiang Yan for permission. Moreover, when marrying a girl, one must raise his head and marry a wife, and it is always the man who takes the initiative to propose to the woman. If the woman takes the initiative to propose to the man, then she is being humble.

After much thought, she decided that Jiang Lizhu was the most suitable middleman.

Dou Zhao invited Jiang Lizhu to his home to listen to opera and passed on a message to Jiang Lizhu.

Jiang Lizhu was a smart person and immediately came up with an idea. She smiled and said, "Just leave this matter to me!"

When she got home, she invited Tao Erjia to talk.

When the Wu family of Tao Erjia came out, they were so dizzy that they didn't know where to go.

She returned to Yuqiao Hutong excitedly, and as soon as she entered the door, she pulled Tao Er and said, "Pinch me quickly to see if I'm dreaming!"

Tao Er laughed and said, "What are you crazy about?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Jia came back from the government office.

Mrs. Tao was startled and said hurriedly, "Sir, today Madam Wu invited me to her house to talk."

Chen Jia wondered why Jiang Lizhu would have gone to talk to his housekeeper if it wasn't for Jiang Yan's matter. He couldn't help but feel nervous, but his face remained calm as he asked, "What did Grandma Wu ask you to do?"

The Tao family remained silent.

Chen Jia called Tao Erjia into the study.

The second wife of Tao said, "The cousin of the Duke of Ying is going to remarry, and Grandmother Wu asked me to ask about your family affairs."

Chen Jia spit out a mouthful of tea, which sprayed all over Tao Erjia's face.

"What did you say?" he asked in astonishment, "Grandma Wu asked you to ask about my family affairs?"

Tao Erjia wiped the tea off her face and said with a smile, "Yes! Grandma Wu also said that it was Madam Dou's request."

Chen Jia's jaw almost dropped.

He paced back and forth in the study, thinking about what Tao Erjia had said.

Could it be that the Song family intended to marry Jiang Yan to him, so they asked Grandma Wu to pass on the message?

But this is impossible!

He knew very well what his background was. Even if the Song family chose the wrong person, it would not be his fault. How could he have caught the eye of Mrs. Dou?

Could it be that the Song family misunderstood that he and Jiang Yan had a secret relationship?

It would be troublesome if that happened!

He doesn't care. As a big boss, the worst that can happen is that he will be laughed at as a "toad wanting to eat swan meat". Maybe someone will even admire his ambition!

But what should Jiang Yan do?

I'm afraid it will be difficult to wash away this stigma in this lifetime!

Should he go talk to Madam Dou and clear up this misunderstanding?

Chen Jia thought that one foot had stepped out of the door, but the other foot could not be lifted up.

He had the chance to marry Jiang Yan... Jiang Yan, who was delicate and gentle, like a spring flower!

Chen Jia's heart warmed.

If he missed this opportunity, he would never be able to marry Jiang Yan.

Should I go or not?

He stood on the threshold, at a loss for what to do for the first time in his life.

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At this time, Jiang Yan was having a heart-to-heart talk with Jiang Lizhu.

She looked at Jiang Lizhu in surprise, her tears almost falling: "Twelfth sister, there is really nothing going on between me and Lord Chen! Why don't you believe it?" Then she swore, "If Lord Chen and I have an affair, let me be struck by lightning..."

Jiang Lizhu was startled and quickly covered her mouth, stopping her from speaking.

"My little ancestor, you dare to swear like this!" She said in shock, "I thought Mr. Chen was a nice person and you knew him, so I thought of finding a matchmaker for you. But you curse yourself for no reason?" She said, loosening her hand, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have bothered with it."

Jiang Yan felt guilty when he heard this and said, "I know that my sister is thinking about me, but I don't want to marry anyone. Although Mr. Chen is good, he is not meant for me."

Jiang Lizhu didn't expect Jiang Yan to say this, and asked seriously, "Why do you think so?"

Jiang Yan lowered his eyelids and whispered, "What man would look up to me if he knew what I've been through? Since I failed to hang myself in the inn, I knew that this was the end of my life. How could I dare to think of anything else?"

Jiang Lizhu asked, "What if Lord Chen came to propose marriage?"

"Impossible." Jiang Yan shook his head like a wave drum.

"But what if Lord Chen really comes to propose marriage?" Jiang Lizhu asked again without giving up.

In this world, no one knows her background better than Chen Jia. If Chen Jia is still willing to propose marriage... does it mean that Chen Jia doesn't despise her?

Jiang Yan's heart moved and he was immediately confused.

She was silent for a while.

Jiang Lizhu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then let's take a look." He couldn't help but persuade her, "People should look forward. If you miss this opportunity, you may not be able to find it again. You are still young, and you are not like those aunts who have returned home to help their sisters-in-law manage the household, or help teach their nephews and nieces to read, write, and do needlework. It was okay when you were young, but now that you are older, are you really going to go to the temple? With your personality, even if you go to the temple, I'm afraid you will be the one who carries water to water the garden. Do you naively think that the temple is really a quiet place without a trace of dust?"

"I, I didn't." Jiang Yan murmured, "When I followed Li Tiao Niang to the temple to burn incense, the nuns would think of ways to get people to donate money. Whoever had more donations would be valued by the abbot."

"Since you know this, you should think about it carefully!" Jiang Lizhu stood up and said goodbye.

Jiang Yan lay on the bed, completely unable to sleep.

What should I do?

Are you really going to marry Chen Jia?

If one day Chen Jia starts to dislike me...

She felt a sharp pain in her heart just thinking about it.

But if Chen Jia really came to propose marriage as Jiang Lizhu said, if I refused...

Jiang Yan tossed and turned on his bed like a pancake.

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For a moment, both of them were a little overwhelmed.

Dou Zhao waited for several days but Chen Jia did not come to propose marriage, and he couldn't help but sigh secretly.

Maybe they are just not meant to be together?

She put the matter aside for the time being.

Song Mo was happy to see it happen, and had no reason to ask about it.

Dou Zhao and Song Mo focused their attention on the affairs of Song Han's branch office.

Huang Qihuang, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, was invited to be a witness, Dou Shiheng and Lu Fuli acted as middlemen, and Song Han signed the deed of division of the family.

Song Yichun hid in the Osmanthus Courtyard and was unwilling to come out to meet guests.

Dou Shiheng asked Huang Qi to persuade Song Yichun: "This discord between brothers is mostly caused by the injustice of their parents. It may not be a bad thing for you to divide the family so early. If all the powerful families in Kyoto could be as clear-headed as you, we would have half as many lawsuits in Shuntian Prefecture."

Although he knew that Huang Qi was comforting him, Song Yichun had the opportunity to step out and say hello to Dou Shiheng and Lu Fuli.

Dou Shiheng privately pouted at Song Yichun and said, "She really wants to be a whore and a saint at the same time!"

Dou Shiying smiled bitterly and said, "Finally the family business has been divided up. It's worth it for Sixth Brother to have come all this way."

Dou Shiheng felt a little sorry for Dou Zhao and told Dou Dechang: "Shou Gu has a tragic fate. You should take good care of her after you pass away."

Dou Dechang responded respectfully, "Yes."

He was the youngest son and had been the most naughty in the past. But now that he was going to be adopted, he became respectful to his father, thinking of his father's love and care for him over the years.

Dou Shiheng sighed, patted his second son's shoulder gently, let him retreat, and told Dou Shiying about Dou Dechang: "Since he has been recorded in the family tree, you don't have to worry about me. Just arrange a time for Zhi'er to move in! It is inevitable that he will be delayed in his studies if he is tied to two sides. Since you chose him, he should also improve his studies and support the family."

Dou Shiying was also preparing to discuss this matter with Dou Shiheng: "How about moving there on the first day of the 11th lunar month? First, it will be easier for relatives to visit during the New Year; second, I plan to invite an old Hanlin to be my tutor at home so that Zhier can concentrate on preparing for the exam."

This year is the year of the major examination, and there will be the provincial examination the following year.

Dou Shiheng nodded.

Dou Shiying told Song Mo about this.

Song Han was busy moving, and Song Maochun and three other families came to help out of consideration. Some old friends who always wanted to flatter the Song family but had no way to do so also went to Luzhu Pavilion to join in the fun. Song Mo didn't want to get involved in such trivial matters, so he took the initiative to ask for help and help Dou Shiying take care of Dou Dechang's succession.

Dou Shiying felt as comfortable as if he had drunk a cup of hot tea in the coldest days of winter. He smiled and said, "What do you need me to do? Just come over and drink tea with me."

Song Mo smiled and said, "Have you said hello to the Wang family?"

According to etiquette, after Dou Dechang passed away, Wang Yingxue became his adoptive mother, and he should go and pay her a visit no matter what.